5 Places I Can’t Wait To Open in LA!

There’s always something new and exciting going on in LA. Los Angeles ‘ motto is definitely, “Out with the old, in with the new”. In the past few years we’ve been lucky enough to have talented people moving into LA from all over the country and the world. I’m very excited for the next 5-10 years and hope that the landscape of LA will change for the better as different perspectives and businesses are opened in our city. Here are 5 Places I Can’t Wait To Open in LA!

As a beer lover, I’m always happy for new breweries and tasting rooms to open here. This location is bound to be busy from day one with Modern Times reputation for crafting interesting sessionable beer. Plans are in the works for an R&D brewing facility, food emporium, & full-spectrum Modern Times Coffee Experience. Even if gastropubs are not the “cool” thing in LA anymore, I love them and can’t wait to get a bite to eat with a tasty brew. I’m especially stoked about the cafe portion of this location as well.

Lots of hotels have opened up downtown in recent years, like The Ace or the recent Freehand Hotel. Both are excellent casual hotels with solid food and cocktails(and rooftop pools). I’m hoping the NoMad will bring a touch of class to DTLA. Their casual-elegant dining and innovative cocktail program will be a great excuse to wear something other than flipflops and designer jeans to dinner. For a NoMad fix, grab a quick bite from The NoMad Truck, making appearances around LA(locations announced on their Instagram account here).

Really excited about this latest addition nearby Chinatown. It’s such a cool area that has undergone so much change in recent years. At least 2 more bars/breweries are headed to the area within the next year as well. This might just be the next nightlife hotspot. According to David Chang, the cuisine at North Spring will be totally original to the Los Angeles location. It’s going to “draw inspiration from LA’s diverse culinary landscape and California’s bounty.” I’m very excited about this! It’s so obvious to anyone coming to LA from other places that we have so much insanely good produce and seasonality all year long. Really looking forward to seeing what new vibrancy David Chang can breathe into our food scene.

If you’re a fan of Tartine, you already know what I’m about to tell you. Croissants are coming…ha! But really, LA has a serious bread and pastry shortage. If you are a baker or pastry chef reading this, stop what you’re doing and open a shop in LA. Tartine is doing that in a HUGE way. Their new space at ROW DTLA will be 40,000 sq. ft. with a production bakery, market, two restaurants, coffee roasting facility (by Coffee Manufactory), & a coffee lab. If you’re hankering for some coffee already, you might want to skip over to the fancypants new Fred Segal in WeHo. Why? Because they’re already serving Coffee Manufactory in the Fred Segal Cafe(more on that here).

I have a NYC Trip fund in my budget, but it looks like this restaurant will open way before I’m able to travel there! Chef April Bloomfield and partner Ken Friedman are expecting an opening this fall. The restaurant will feature a wood-fired oven and like most SoCal restaurants, a produce-driven menu. Much like with NoMad & Momofuku, I’m excited about experiencing an East Coast take on California’s farmers-market bounty!